Centre is setting up fifty 100-bed modular hospitals across India
What's the story
The Indian government has planned to set up 50 innovative modular hospitals across the country within the next two to three months - an attempt to ramp up state-sponsored healthcare system amid concerns over a third wave of the coronavirus.
Many of these facilities will have a capacity of 100 beds, reported The Times of India.
Here are more details on this.
Details
Each 100-bed facility to cost nearly Rs. 3 crore
These hospitals will be built alongside existing hospital buildings, serving as an extension to their prevailing infrastructure.
One 100-bed facility can be readied at an estimated cost of Rs. 3 crore in three weeks and made fully operational within a span of seven weeks.
In fact, they can be dismantled and moved anywhere in under a week, the report said.
Details
These hospitals can last around 25 years
The first batch of such hospitals will be commissioned in Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh); Amravati, Pune, and Jalna (Maharashtra), and Mohali (Punjab).
Meanwhile, Raipur will get a 20-bed facility while Bengaluru will have one each of 20, 50, and 100 beds.
These hospitals can last around 25 years.
This project has been started by K VijayRaghavan, the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Indian government.
Information
Project conceptualized and designed by Modulus Housing
The project is called MediCAB Hospitals and has been conceptualized by Modulus Housing Solutions, a start-up located in IIT Madras Research Park. The firm has already started deploying the extension hospitals in association with the American India Foundation, a non-profit body.
Quote
'Contacted state governments to identify the requirement'
"Any government hospital, having basic facilities such as electricity and water supply, and oxygen pipeline, will be eligible to have a modular hospital attached to it (sic)," Aaditi Lele, who is associated with the project, told TOI.
"We have been in touch with state governments to identify the requirement, specifically in states where a higher number of cases are reported."
Situation
India's coronavirus situation
India faced the world's worst coronavirus outbreak earlier this year, but the situation has since improved.
In the past 24 hours, the country reported nearly 70,000 new infections - the lowest one-day surge in 74 days.
Active cases have now fallen under the 10 lakh-mark.
India has administered over 25 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, but only 3.4% of the total population is fully vaccinated.
Significance
Why is it important to scale up health infrastructure?
Scaling up healthcare infrastructure is crucial as experts have warned that a new wave of COVID-19 infections could hit India in under eight months.
That's because immunity from prior infection or coronavirus vaccination is expected to last only that long.
During India's second wave of COVID-19, the country had faced an acute shortage of hospital beds, medicines, medical oxygen, and other vital resources.